Wizz Air has announced plans to set up a second UK base.
The budget carrier will base an Airbus A320 aircraft at Doncaster Sheffield airport starting late-October, becoming Wizz’s 11th aircraft to be permanently based in the UK.
It will operate seven new routes, flying to Alicante, Malaga, Faro, Larnaca, Lublin (Poland), Kosice (Slovakia) and Suceana (Romania).
These new routes will operate from 22 October, complementing Wizz’s three existing Doncaster Sheffield routes.
The new base will create a sustained presence for Wizz in the north of England, with the airline predominantly based out of Luton airport.
Wizz says the move will create 36 direct jobs and 110 indirect in the airport’s catchment area.
It will also increase capacity at Doncaster Sheffield by 150,000 seats annually.
In total, Wizz will offer almost 1.8 million seats across its 107 UK routes for the remainder of 2020.
Owain Jones, Wizz Air UK managing director, said the base was a "major milestone" for the carrier, and testament to its commitment to serving the UK market.
He added the airline would look to continue expanding its footprint during what he described as a "challenging time" for the industry as it responds to the coronavirus crisis.
Robert Hough, chair of Doncaster Sheffield airport, added: "With strong performance, there is now a real possibility for the base to grow from one aircraft initially to a multi-aircraft base, further broadening the range of routes available."
Fares for Wizz’s seven new routes at Doncaster Sheffield lead in from £17.99pp one-way.
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